


Between then and now

by Safira_Ground



Category: We Happy Few (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Historical References, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, learning to live after all the things you've done, mentions of dictatorship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-08-01 15:25:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Safira_Ground/pseuds/Safira_Ground
Summary: After leaving Wellington Wells, Constance managed to live a new life but the former bobby sooner realized that there's no such thing as starting anew, the past is always behind you.





	1. Prologue

          Constance escaped Wellington Wells for a considerable amount of time, not enough to say it has been a long while nor too short to say it was a recent event. It was a hard period of adaptation, breaking up the old habits, constat smile, daily dose of joy and having lived in decades of isolation from the rest of the world. With much dificulty she became a constable, this time in the mainland. Dealing with men proved to be a much harder task when there was no drug that left then with the cognitive functionality of a child.

           

          Living alone in a small apartment untill she managed to gain enough to buy a house, the officer had to face the isntitucionalized sexism characteristic of the time. She soon found out that the forced happines of the government she used to live in made people forget certain prejudices, or at least made then come in a lighter level. Constance managed to become the first lady constable in Wellington Wells and entered the ranks as any other officer. She was ready to face the constabulary.

 

          For her surprise, there were more women than she would ever imagine there would be, no longer she was the only female in the force, altough she didn’t particullary enjoy wearing a skirt on her uniform in constrast to her previous vest, wich was exatcly the same as the other male counterparts.

 

          Because of her personality, it wasn’t hard to gain new friends. Altought she loved the new companions, Constance avoided to speak of Wellington Wells as much as she could, a past she would love to forget, but that was what created that distopia in the first place.

 

          The bobby managed  to live a rather pacific life, working as a officer, going to the pub with friends. Enjoying the freedon of the night life and making good use of her spare time to re-learn the history that has been adulterated by Uncle Jack and the censored articles of the O’Coarun.

 

          Meanwhile, as soon as she returned home, all the atrocities comitted would emerge to haunt her: the train, the children’s yells and the persecution of downers. It was a strenuous period of adaptation. “Life goes on” she tought as she stared into the ceiling above her bed as she was laid down to sleep, “I can’t live in lies, we’ve made terrible things and now we- we have to- we have to... we have to live with them”, tears began to shed down her now frowning face into the pillow. It was going to be another night of insomnia.


	2. A spark

There was a strict routine Constance would follow religiously every morning before going to work. As soon as she risen up, she would boil the water and prepare the tea, take a shower, dress up and then eat some breakfast. Before she leaves, the woman would go back to her room and open her closet where there was a box, inside it, her old uniform from Wellington Wells with her bobby mask and everything. A way to never forget where she came from and the atrocities she commited. Constance did that as a form of punshiment and also a way to prove that her past was left behind. After all that, it was time to go to work.

 

The station was less crowded than usual, with less paperwork to do wich is a great help for someone who didn’t have a good night’s sleep. Nevertheless, the eyes of the constable didn’t leave the reports. Constance’s concentration ceased however as soon as a voice called out to her and she finally turned her gaze away from the paperwork.

 

Once the officer’s eyes met the ower of that voice, she found in front of her an enchanting woman. Dressed in a lovely red dress with black dots carrying a briefcase on her side, dark brown  hair with big eyes with matching colors staring intensely at her, a flushed face indicated a considerable walk was made to get to the precinct. That lady was obviously not british, english was not even her first language as you would presume from the accent and certain difficulty in some of the words as she talked.

 

The woman then extended her hand and said “the document? ”. Constance then realized that she was not paying attention to what that lady was saying. Obviously irritated, but talking with cordiality, the small woman apparently in her mid thirthies repeated incisively “Here are the indentification documents. I need the papers from the case number 187 of the homicide of Robert Baker supposedly commited by Evelyn Baker, my client and mr. Earnest Hambling’s. I may not be that much fluent in english but my pronnunciation was perfectly compreensible.”. Realizing her mistake, Constance apologised for her atitude, immediately she went to the file room, where the redness of her face started to blosson.

 

Returning to her desk, the first atitude of the policewoman was to apologize again as she delivered the file from the case number 187, this time she looked at the floor, avoinding to gaze at the face that made her lose herself into her unconscius mind.

 

“I guarantee that’s not my usual atitude er... ma’am” Constance said as she realized she had just forgot that woman’s name. That morning she was showing the incompetence she would expect from her former squad back in Wellington Wells and she was infuriated by that with a hint of growing shame.

 

Wainting for some sort of verbal punishiment as she already made the lawyer loose her pacience, the bobby was surprised to recieve a rather friendly response, “Karen, Karen Hambling” the woman said as she recieved the document, smiled and left the prescinct.

 

Lunch break arrived, as Constance ate a sandwich and an apple, her colleagues made small comments about the comical scene that happened earlier, the fellow officers would talk for a while about their friend being humilliated by the woman in the red dotted dress.

 

“It was not ridiculuous!” She protested

 

“No, you only jumped from your chair and left almost running” her friend smirked. “If it weren’t for the fact that the entrance was in the other direction, I would assume you had run away from the station!”. All the girls began to laugh. Constance began to smile and chuckled to fit in. She knew that showing any sign of embarassment would mean they woudn’t let her be, Constance was very aware of that from the time she spent messing with Morland.


	3. A second sight

Since the meeting with Karen Hambling, no other tought could fill the mind of the officer. That brief exchange of words were enough to make her easy on her knees as a newborn deer. The doubt tormented her the most, was she atracted to that woman or was it only the shame from the way she acted in that day tormenting her?

 

It has passed a week and no sign of that Hambling lady, the routine was being followed automatically, without thinking twice about what she was doing wich resulted in many accidents, including burning her fingers while preparing the morning tea. The constable didn’t even realize how hopeful she was for a second interaction untill the moment a felow officer complimented her appearance.

 

“ Good gracious Constance! you’ve been looking so beautiful lately. What have you been up to? One of these fine fellas finnaly got your attention?” said constable Miller with a sly look.

 

Constance didn’t care for a man in her life, not as in someone to share a intimate bond per say, she did have a lot of male friends, but she wasn’t found of the opposite gender for a life companion.

 

“What do you mean Olivia?” she knew what her friend was talking about but wanted to see where that conversation would lead to.

 

“Well...” Miller started. “ You’re using make-up since last monday and you never wear it. The only thing you use are those earrings. Perfume as well, i could only smell the soap before” she finished, proud of her small analisis.

 

“ That could also mean I want to change my style a bit. ” Constance quickly replied, certain she cut the conversation over.

 

“ Nosense! ” the smaller woman exclaimed “ You say you want to change your style but you keep the same key characteristics. Same hairdo, same jewellry, same composture. You use just a lighter make-up to fix a few imperfections here and there. The perfume was a recent adition, bought by yourself as it’s not your birthday nor valentines day or any other holliday so it couldn’t be a present from any of us nor a secret admirer. It could be a way to make that someone associate the pleasant smell with yourself, clever tactic i must say.”

 

“How can you assume that? I could just have for a long time and never use it” Constance said.

 

“My dear friend, we go the same way home every day and we always pass the same store wich just released this fragance. There’s no possible way you could have it lying on your dresser waiting for you to finally use it” the constable was getting exited, green eyes begining to sparkle, how Olivia enjoyed to uncover the truth and watch the target become defenseless before her.

 

“Whoever is this someone, you want then to recognise you but to also look prettier to gain their special attention at the same time. That my friend, is not just you wanting to change up your style you want to engage in a relationship but you don’t know how to make the first move” she triumphantly concluded, there’s no way Constance could debunk that.

 

 That hability to notice the smallest details was what impressed Constance the most about Miller, she always managed to find the smallest details. Truth to be told, she managed to save many investigations from becoming cold cases with her sharp eyes but that also backfired to those around Olivia as she would use those habilities to put people up against the wall and find new gossip material.

 

Constance was displeased about how right her friend was, if it was not for the intimacy allowed from their friendship, Miller would have her arm bent and head pressed against the floor by now.

 

“Are you done Sherlock? ” the taller woman said as there was nothing else she tought she could say that would not give her friend more reasons to taunt her.

 

“.... For now. ” Miller smiled, a smile that said she would come back to know who that special someone was.

 

Constance just tapped lightly on the ginger head of Olivia and said on a strict yet friendly tone “Alright Constable Miller, save your perception for the five new open cases on your desk. ” a sign that it was no longer time to mess around. As she remebered that talk, the bobby realized she didn’t just want to apologize to that lawyer.

 

The morning passed by quickly and it was time for Constance to do her route. She was rather glad, she needed that fresh air and to run away from the interrogation her friends were putting her trough. The street she had to patrol was just lovely, right in front of a park and it had a view you would expect from a impressionist painting, with children running around, couples walking side-by-side and few people reading or just sitting on the bench. That park and the shore were her favourite places to go every time she needed some time for herself.

 

The peace in the constable’s mind dissipated and all her toughts started to race as she met a familiar figure. “It can’t be” she tought to herself, but she happilly was proven wrong as who she saw no one other than Karen Hambling, sitting with what seemed to be a book while writting on a notepad, same hairdo but this time she was wearing a plain yellow dress. For some reason Constance could only imagine that eye-catching woman in the red dotted dress she saw her wearing on the day they first met.

 

In the officer’s mind, the first thing she wanted to do was to cross the street and say hello. Taking a step foward, she quickly stopped and stepped back, what was she going to do? Just approach a citzen and ask her out? She didn’t even knew that woman, all she knew was her profession and her name and it all started with a terrible interaction, Karen wouldn’t enjoy talking to Constance again she tought, not after that embarassing moment.

 

Also, this wasn’t Wellington Wells, people weren’t so tolerant about same-sex relationships, she wondered how Morland and Arthur were holding up. To top it all off, she remembered the lawyer mentioned another name, a man’s name: Earnest Hamnbling. They shared the same lastname, what was he to her? Constance began to think, they work together, it could be her cousin, a uncle, father, brother or... she feared, her husband. If that was the case, all her chances would be over and she barely began to know her.

 

She was really lost in toughts, Constance didn’t realize Morland aproaching to greet her. “ Constace? ” he asked, she finally came back to reality, slowly becomimg aware of her surroundings again. “...Morland. How are you today?” The other constable knew the woman for a long time, she wasn’t the kind to daydream during work, whatever turned lost in toughts must be rather serious he presumed. “ Right now concerned, is everything-“ Moland was stopped as soon the two bobbies saw Karen being bothered by some man who cleary didn’t knew what bondaries were, or didn’t care for them.

 

“Mister! Please back off, I’m not in the mood for talking.” Karen said, she coudn’t be more specific but the man in front of her didn’t give way, “Is that so _chica_? In mood for something else then? ” he started to put his hand on her shoulders. That was the moment Morland started to go towards the scene but was stopped as Constance who went there as fast as the wind, leaving him to watch the scene wainting for her to ask for backup if necessary. With determination in her eyes, she wouldn’t let that bastard lay those dirty hands anywhere else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now just wait for the rescue


	4. The ladybug

 

There was no way to escape, Karen was immobilized by that guy, she didn’t even see him coming, she was too focused on taking notes. She did hear him speaking, but presumed at first he was talking to someone else but a question was made and it couldn’t be to someone other than her “Hey, do you understand what i’m saying? Do you speak english?” he said as if a awnser was necessary. The woman in yellow was not a native english speaker, but she knew what he was saying and didn’t like the xenophobic tone directed to her, she just chose to ignore untill he gave up and decided to go away, but that certainly wasn’t her lucky day.

 

Angry at the approach and sick of remaining quiet, she decided to give the reply in another language, that way he would actually leave her be. “Compreendo, mas prefiro não gastar meu tempo com um merdinha que nem você. É bem mais divertido ver você gastar seus dois neurônios tentando entender o que eu digo do que mandar você se fuder na sua língua mesmo” she said with a smile on her face, not a warm one, it was filled with passive agressivness. Instead of leaving, the man just got intriguied to hear what he considers “exotic” words coming out of her mouth, and wanted more. Before that, a firm hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from the girl in yellow dress.  

 

“Sir, stop bothering the lady” Constance said in a firm tone, she was taller then him but he didn’t take her seriously, even thought she could put him behind bars in that exact moment.

 

“Or what?” he replied, the officer was losing her patience as her muscles started to tense, she was ready to attack if he decided to go any further.

 

“Sir. She cleary is not interested in talking to you so please leave her be before I have to make you” her voice was sharp and incisive, using all her self control not to yell, he did not listen, and turned back to see the woman was no longer sitting there, she had left. Metting the scene, the man was infuriated and stated shouting at Constance, showing threatening gestures.

 

“You better move before I break those pretty little hands of yours!” that’s all the constable needed to hear, with quick movements he was immobilized and handcuffed, barely leaving time for any of the people there present to blink. The officer took him to the precinct. Morland came to testify in Constance’s favor, as it turns out, it wasn’t the first time he was harassing ladies in the area but since he didn’t go futher than a umpleasant talk and there was not a risk to the life of either the lady being harassed nor the policewoman, they had to let him go.

 

Morland waited for Constance in the breakroom, once he saw her, he could see in her eyes and frowning brows how infuriated she was for the whole situation. “Can you bloodly believe it Morland?” she started saying as the constable went to the counter to prepare some tea. “It’s umbeliaveble! He was going to do something to her, I know it, if it wasn’t for me there…” Constance paused, she didn’t know how to end her sentence but the fear in her tone send a clear message to what she meant.

 

“I didn’t like it either, but there’s nothing we can do now” Morland tried his best to confort his friend “You did all you could, what matters now is the fact that girl is out of danger” he concluded.

 

Constance quickly replied “For now, Morland. For now.” she then continued “What if he tries that again? God what if he gets one of his disgusting friends to help? I will not be there to help Karen like today and-” Morland quickly interrupted the officer, until now he tought she was just helping a random citizen, but that woman cleary meant much more to her.

 

“Do you know that lady?” Morland asked. Constance remained silent, she didn’t want to tell the lads about her, the ladies of the constabulary have already interrogated her enough. “Oh my God!” the bobby connected the dots quickly, hands covering his mouth to muffle his voice.

 

Constance gave him an intense glare with her ice-cold eyes. “You better NOT talk about it” she said as she took a sip of her tea. Morland was ecstatic, he’s never seen her with anyone nor talk about it, for a long time she wasn’t even open to him about the massive crush she used to nuture for miss Boyle.

 

“I’m just so happy for you.” he said, hoping to see his friend change her harsh tone.

 

“Well, don’t be. We only talked once and it was dreadful, the worst first impression and I’m no Darcy to turn that disaster of interaction around” she cleary was not hopeful in

romantic relationships for herself.

 

“How do you know that?” Morland asked, she was always so supportive about their friends love lives, it felt so strange to see her putting the foot down when it came to her's .

 

“You weren’t there, you would have just laughed and then tell me to go to the pub later” Since when did Constance become so hopeless?

 

“Constance you know that’s not true. I would never- is she the lawyer from last Monday?” the policemen said.

 

“How do you know about it?” an expression of surprise filled the officer, she never mentioned the occurrence of the former week.

 

“Guess who.” Morland discretely pointed to constable Miller’s table.

 

“Should have guessed.” she chuckled.

 

Not a second later, a woman entered, for the way she was talking to the officers, she was looking for someone.  Karen Hambling returned and was asking for Constable Constance. That moment delivered a mix of fear and excitement bewetten the two officers in the breakroom who were seeing everything trough the window, in all honesty it was only the policewoman who had a mixture of feelings storming inside her head as Morland was already pushing her toward the door, before she could even protest, Constance was out of the breakroom and before she could open the door again to hide, the policeman already locked it, giving her a thumbs up and and mouthing “You’ll do great”.

 

“Constable? Over here.” Karen was coming towards her, determined step as she did the other day, the tension inside the officer’s mind was growing, she used to break downers’ spines with bare hands, she couldn’t be afraid of that petite lady but there she was, her heart could explode at any moment and her friends were watching it and enjoying the follow-up from the last encounter.

 

“Miss Karen Hambling?” The bobby asked, looking down, trying to see if there was any kind of ring on her fingers. Karen quickly smiled at Constance’s words.

 

“You’ve remembered!” she exclaimed. Quickly replying to the lawyer with a pleasant smile as in a way to start a small talk.

 

“Well, I told you that was not my usual attitude”. Karen let out a small chuckle and Constance continued “But what brings you here?”

 

“Well, normally they ask the victim for her testimony ins’t it?” the bobby’s cheeks began to turn red again, with a quick apology, Karen was taken to the constable’s desk.  Meanwhile, Morland couldn’t hold the laughter back at the breakroom.

 

At the desk with paper and pen in hand, the policewoman started to write down the report.

 

“Name?” Constance asked, she would cease the opportunity to know more about the woman in front of her.

 

“You already know it” Karen replied, she was speaking in such sweetness in her words the officer almost forgot the reason the both of them were there.

 

“I need your full name for the report, miss Hambling” The officer tried to show she took her work seriously, but the face her friend gave from across the room indicated she should tone it down her formalities as Constance’s entonation felt rather cold.  

 

“Oh right!” she said “Karen Oliveira de Campos Hambling”.

 

“Lovely name indeed. Now, can you tell me what happened?” Constance felt a sensation of warmth flowing trough her body, she was only writing her testimony but finally engaging in conversation with miss Hambling released a grand quantity of the tension she built up to her until that moment.

 

Karen started to speak in detail about her encounter with the man, not much could be said, that moment was brief as Constance didn’t allow him to go any futher.

 

“…After you pulled him away from me, I got up from my seat”

 

“And that was the moment you left the scene?” Constance asked, she was certain the lawyer fled the scene, possibly to avoid the confrontation she presumed.

 

“No. I never did, you and that guy were so focused in discussing that you didn’t see I was behind you, ask the other constable with you, he saw me there, but I presume the two of you were so focused in arrest him that you forgot I was there, it all happened so fast. But I will admit, I considered going home instead, it took me a few minutes to make up my mind, once I came back to my senses, you were already gone.” the lawyer concluded.

 

“My apologies miss, I would never-” Constance was interrupted again.

 

“Is today also not how you behave normally? When are you acting like yourself?” Karen was toying with the officer; the expression she was giving was priceless.

 

“Would you like to know?” the bobby played back.

 

“Maybe another day, it would be nice to see you not forgetting the basic rules of the constabulary for once” the lawyer smiled.

 

The conversation ended and Constance said goodbye, it went a lot smoother than the first interaction. She really hoped to see miss Hambling again and it seemed the expetations were mutual.

 

“Dreadful wasn’t it miss Darcy?” Morland approached the desk, he was happy to see it all went well and to have the opportunity to finally make her fluster as she constantly did to him.   

 

“Weren’t you supposed to be at work constable? Anyway see you and the lads later, cheerio.” She grinned as Morland realized it and in a swift movement he left the room. No matter how much she cared for him, Constance didn’t want her friend to have the last laugh. She didn’t see her friend’s smile as he walked to the precinct, he knew how hard she was trying to hide her embarrassment.

 

The hours passed by and it was time to leave, she was looking forward to have a drink with her friends, who already waited for her outside the building. The group began to walk chatting about their week, at Morland’s request, they wouldn’t mention the lawyer not until they were at the pub.

 

Their walk took a sudden stop however once they passed trough the park, Constance didn’t seem to move, still as a statue they had to snap her back to reality. For a full minute, she kept staring at the ladybugs o the bench and the lovely red dotted pattern they are known to carry on their backs.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, Constance lost her rights to call Morland hopeless romantic.


	5. A midsummer night's dream

The pub was crowded; the constables almost didn’t get a table. All the men, including Morland, wanted to know about Constance’s new love interest but she wouldn’t give way. Answering in monosyllabic words, it would be hard to gain much information that night.

 

After the seemingly never-ending interrogatory, the bobby decided it was time to talk. Staring at the group, Constance straightened her posture and said in an intense tone as to show dominance among then.  

 

“Look, I don’t know much about her either, she just appeared at the station last week. Miller already described the embarrassment I’ve been through. We talked today and she was much friendlier but that’s it!” she said, slamming her hand on the table.

 

Constance was always much too cautious when it came to matters of the heart. Her love life was almost nonexistent. Even when the officer used to be drugged on joy, she rarely went past the flirting. Now that her inhibitions operated once again, she wasn’t able to do that either.

 

“I…” she paused, trying to gather the words in her head. “I just don’t like to talk about it alright?” Constance showed a distressed look. The others decided to stop questioning and changed the subject, heavy at first, the atmosphere began to lighten and laugher filled the room. The group spent the rest of the evening chatting about the funny occurrences that took place in the station during the week.

 

The laughing soon ceased as soon as Constance saw who was sitting in the bar bench, it couldn’t be no one else, the man that harassed miss Hambling earlier, right in front of her, drinking a beer as it that noon never occurred. She was too far away to understand what he was saying. It didn’t matter, the officer couldn’t focus on anything else, her skin began to turn red and burned. He didn’t seem to notice the constable as the pub was loud, with waiters coming and going from every direction and the tall officers in the table served as a shield to block the view of her.

 

“Morland” Constance warned “At the bar, third seat from right to left to right, red sweater, twelve o’clock” she pointed, the officer followed her directions, an expression of surprised emerged.

 

“That bastard…” he said, confirming his friend’s conclusion.

 

“What?” one of the other bobbies asked confused by the situation.

 

“Look, I may have omitted a few facts, for example, the gentleman ahead of us is the disgusting excuse of a human being that harassed miss Hambling at the park earlier today and he threatened me when I told him to move along. Anyway I’m leaving before he sees me as I don’t want to end up in the papers for smashing his head against the counter in a bar fight” the policewoman concluded, her friends knew she wasn’t only throwing words around, they’ve seen what she was capable off, that scenario was not a mere theory constructed in the midst of the emotions storming through her mind at the moment but a certainty.

 

The officers insisted she didn’t have to leave but Constance was hardly persuaded. Seeing she wouldn’t change her mind, the bobbies decided to call it a night and escorted her home. On the inside, Constance hated to be treated like she wasn’t able to fend for herself, she could easily break that man’s legs if he tried anything but decided it was for the best not to discuss any further as not to draw attention to herself. As the group walked towards Constance’s address, she wouldn’t stop apologizing for making the night less pleasant than it was supposed to be.

 

“We wouldn’t have stayed much longer anyway, ‘getting rather late you know…” one of the lads mentioned.

 

The officer thanked her friends as they went on their own way home and she was once again all alone in the apartment. It was not a place she particularly enjoyed. The construction was in a good condition and the neighbors were not unpleasant, they quite enjoyed having a constable living next-door. The source of the problem was the silence, Constance remained alone with her thoughts inside those walls, there was nothing to distract herself with. It was the time the bobby would remember all the things she did in Wellington Wells, the woman would sleep much easier if she wasn’t part of the reason it was unbearable to live there, hunting humans like animals and forcing then into pseudo happiness.

 

For that reason, she would go straight to bed once arriving. It would take her a lot of effort to drift into slumber and the former wellie wasn’t found of sleeping pills, or any medicine in that shape whatsoever. She stared at the walls, the ceiling but with no result, she soon thought about her day, all the papers she had to organize. Recoiling that feeling of boredom, her eyelids became heavier, the body loosened, no thoughts were filling the officer’s head, she was finally sleeping.

 

_“Diana!”_ a voice exclaimed, a blonde woman with ice-blue eyes showed herself before Constance but she couldn’t determine who it was, she was dragged to a chair and the taller figure put a first aid kit on a table.

 

“ _Young lady, how many times do I have to tell you not to get into fights? It’s not ladylike and you can get hurt. Well…even more than now that is.”_ The woman said in a condescending tone then pulled Constance’s arm, they were smaller now, the hands barely matched the size of the palm of the woman’s, she was all the way to her elbows filled with bruises and cuts. Constance soon realized she was no longer a fully grown adult but a little girl.  

 

The older female started to put some medicine in cotton and began to rub it on Constance’s arms. It was all a dream, the dreaming constable knew it, but she could feel the burning sensation and pain fill her entire body as if she was being tortured, a small fragile being hurt by someone bigger and there was no escape. Constance has never taken this role before.  

 

“ _I was just playing! Everyone was doing it.”_ Constance said, trying to defend herself as in a way to escape from further punishment.

 

_“No they were not. All the girls were skipping rope or playing house, you were the only one wrestling with the boys. I saw it, you can’t lie to me missy”_ The older woman replied, passing the medicine from the hands to the arms.

 

_“Don’t you always say I don’t have to follow the crowd?”_ Constance joked, thinking she won the argument.

 

_“Didn’t you just tell me you were doing what everyone was doing?”_ The lady said with a smirk. Even if it hurted so badly, that woman was trying to apply the medication in the most caring way, it almost looked like she felt bad for doing that.

 

_“… Alright you caught me”_ Constance finally emitted another sound, defeated by her own words.

 

_“I know it hurts, but that’s what you get for fighting. Besides, it’s good for you, otherwise you’ll get an infection. You know… I lost the count of how many good men I saw dying from diseases that invaded their skin with bruises just like yours. I recall once in-”_ for some reason, it felt like it was the beginning of a monologue and Constance decided to end it before it became unbearable.

 

_“I was not in a battlefield…”_ From the tone of her voice and the use of words, it was not the first time Constance heard that speech. But she didn’t remember it, at least not from what she wouldn’t recall anyone who ever directed those words to her, she couldn’t remember much from her childhood, some people she would recall from these memories were nothing but a blur.

 

_“Then don’t fight like you’re in the middle of the war.”_ The woman said, finishing to rub the medication on the bruise located on the shoulder and quickly covering the wounds _._

 

_“There, all patched up, now what do you say?”_ The woman finished, with pride in her eyes and kinder voice, arms on her hips, bowing down to meet Constance’ gaze.

 

_“Thank you mom.”_ Constance’s reply was rather shy toned, as if she was ashamed for making her go into such trouble.

 

_“Good. Only you to keep me from getting rusty. Now off you go, get dressed, it’s almost time for supper.”_ The lady waved and it all started to fade away.

 

Constance woke up, terrified, almost drowning in sweat, she looked at the clock, it was five third in the morning. She couldn’t go back to sleep. The bobby remembered many things from her former life, but never once she recoiled her mother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the late update, I was busy with college and I just had no idea how to go on with the story, I had to plan the next few chapters. Stay tunned
> 
> This ain't gonna be Constance's first memory she will recall, but they only get worse by the time, just like with all the characters in the game


	6. Horizon

The morning did not start peacefully; Constance couldn’t go back to sleep after the night before, remembering her mother was rather a traumatic experience, most of her childhood was a blur in her brain. For fifteen minutes all the constable did was sit on her bed, looking at nothing in an attempt to contemplate all the new information gathered and not have a complete meltdown.

“…This can’t be right.” she said to herself, trying to believe it was all probably just a very realistic dream based on common experiences all mixed together. Constance then realized it was time to leave the bed, she wouldn’t abandon the routine to overthink what happened in her subconscious.

Now in the kitchen after the tea was prepared, instead of drinking, the barely awoke woman only stared at the teacup, it has been a while since she did that, from her first days in the city. Back in Wellingtons Wells, the bobby would put a joy pill in there, later coming back to her senses and leave that dreadful town. After establishing a new life, she associated the warm drink with the drug, not being able to take a sip for a long time, only gazing at the liquid content and remembering how she would pour a pill inside to make an illusion of a colorful and shiny utopia.

At work, the constable tried her best to remain productive as if last night didn’t happen. She replied quickly, as if there was a rush to go somewhere else, not even greeting the coworkers as it was custom when she walked into the office, only marching towards her desk with a blank look and typing constantly and steady like a machine. Her friends soon grew worried, they have never seen her act like that, not even when she had towers of paperwork to fill, she would always start a small chat before working or take a rapid trip to the breakroom for tea but Constance didn’t even drink a sip of water during the entire morning.

A few meters away from Constance’s desk, two officers discussed.

“Look, I’ll talk to her, she clearly saw something she didn’t want to see, I just know that. I can get the answer in no time” Miller said as she prepared herself to move, the other constable laid a hand on the smaller woman trying to restrain her from going to Constance’s direction.

“You will try to get answer in NO way. I know how you act, at the very instant you say hello to her it will be a never ending interrogation, she’ll be even more stressed than she is at this very moment and finally give the punch in the face you’ve been deserving for decades.” The constable reprehended in a condescending tone, she was taller, plumper composition, a black woman in her early forties with short hair. The way she approached the smaller officer, it seemed as if she was addressing a small child.

“Well, if YOU go, we will have to wait another three hours to even start to get to the point. You talk, talk and talk and we never get to the bottom of-  Bennet!” Miller suddenly stopped her sentence exclaiming her co-worker’s name in anger,

Bennet marched towards Constance disregarding Miller, it was true she takes a while to get to the point of things, but those who opened to her preferred the kind mannered and rather motherly way Mrs. Bennet approached others, even criminals during interrogation would tell her the most intimate detail of their lives, maybe for lack of a healthy domestic environment during their childhoods or the hope of the constabulary give then a shorter sentence in exchange for the cooperation.  

“Constance, is everything right dear?” the constable said while putting a hand on the working constable’s shoulder. Terrible decision. Constance bolted and immobilized her colleague in a flash the same way she handled the crook at the park where she had the second interaction with Karen.

Miller ran towards the women and tried to release Bennet from Constance’s grip, the officer soon came back to her senses and let go of her frightened coworker’s arm. Constable bennet was shaking in fear, “Bloody hell Constance” she blurted “What came into you? You almost killed me out of fright!” after Bennet exclaimed, Constance changed her expression from the shock of the interaction that made her go into defense mode to worry for her friends wellbeing.

“Jane! Good lord I’m so sorry” Constance apologized, she never attacked a co-worker. Jane replied in an instant, regaining composure still with a frown on her face “Well… what happened then?”. Constance wanted to tell them about the dream, but since they didn’t know about the nightmarish reality that was Wellington Wells, they wouldn’t understand how terrifying it was to remember the past. In an attempt to create an excuse, the bobby told them about the second encounter with the crook, lying that she feared he would try to harm her with the help of his mates. It was not exactly false, nor truth, as she did fear for miss Hambling’s safety and the eventual seek for revenge from his gang, it was not the reason she was alarmed that morning.

“Oh dear, you have nothing to worry about” Jane continued “From the way you handled my arm in a second I’m certain they should worry about bumping into you”. Constance then replied “How is it? Dislocated, does it hurt?” Constable Bennet assured everything was fine, there was no reason for concern. Even so, as soon as lunch arrived Constance left the precinct to buy a piece of cake as a sign of apology, they all learned never to go behind the bobby’s back when she was on that mood.   Miller then joked how next time she could bent her arm next time if that meant a sweet reward later, which ended with Bennet pushing her off the chair, resulting in the small stature woman falling to the ground. The atmosphere was light again and Constance was no longer in the constant state of alarm.

As soon as the shift was done, Constance believed it was for the best of her wellbeing and the other’s around her to clear out her head at the shore, she stayed by the rocks watching the end of the sunset, darker shades of blue taking the place of the warm coloring of the sun, lying in the horizon about to give place to the moon and stars to shine. The sea breeze sent chills down her spine but the bobby loved it, even thought she was free from her birthplace, she would always look at the direction it would take to welling wells if she decided to take a boat right at the moment. The officer almost couldn’t believe that somewhere across the horizon people were being drugged out of their right state of mind in an isolated archipelago, but Constance knew very well that this was real, people had the false sensation of happiness being shoved down their throats and led to believe it was a choice and the constable were one of those people in charge of that. How long it would take for that city to crumble, to all the wellies die either from the plague, starvation, of from the downer hunt. Constance didn’t believe she could have moved on without paying for what she’s done, but being haunted by your own recollection of memories was a good form of punishment for all the decades of repression of the mind.

The bobby soon spotted a human silhouette, sitting in a bench, starring at the ocean just as she was, a tall and frail man, with black hair in the most basic haircut and clothing, without a doubt that this person who blended in with the environment was Morland’s husband Arthur Hastings. Constance soon marched towards him, waving friendly to him, who replied the gesture as he realized Constance’s presence.

“Fancy to see you Arthur” Constance greeted “Why are you not home at this hour?” asking, she was certain he would be at his lifelong companion’s arms by now.

“Didn’t know Wellington’s curfew extended to Plymouth” Arthur replied with his classic sarcasm.

Constance chuckled, the chap continued “It’s just nice to watch the twilight and Morland is working late, what about you?”

“Trying to clear out my head” It was a simple answer, Constance did not enjoy to open up about her problems, to become vulnerable at the eyes of others.

“The sudden attack on Mrs. Bennet? Before you ask, yes, Miller told Morland about it and he told me during my visit to his station” At this point, the small officer had become the link between the two stations, she would come from gossip from men, and they from the women.

“She’s out of control…” Constance concluded, ever since she met Karen, the gossip risen up and Miller was a force that couldn’t be stopped.

“She also said you were lying about the reason of your alarm and whatever happened it was not related to what you told them” That small little thing with a big tongue couldn’t just let things go.

Constance took a deep breath, Arthur was different than her knew friends, not only did he knew what kind of process she was going through in her mind, but also how much of a burden it was to live on after doing so many regrettable things in the past.

“Ever since I stopped taking joy, memories flooded in. At first it was some useless mundane things, what I’ve eaten the day before, all the shenanigans my squad went through. In fact, I believe I tolerated those rubbishes excuses for constables because I would forget all the buffoonery they did the following morning. Also, all the reasons people talked so much smack about constable Rossetti’s wife, good lord, what that woman didn’t do”

Arthur laughed a little, Constance then continued.

“But last night, after going out with the lads, I think I remembered my mother, bandaging me when I was little”

Arthur’s face changed, the atmosphere grew heavier, he knows very well it’s hard to remember family members in the circumstances the wellies had to face.

“What happened?” He imagined it was a situation that had gone terribly.

“That’s the thing. Nothing out of the ordinary, I just never remembered anything family related, I’m certain now they’re either “on holiday” or they’re wasting away in the garden district by now. Either way, not good scenarios. I’m just afraid of the domino effect this might have, if I didn’t remember them until now it must mean something unbearable took place and subconsciously I want to forget.”

A tone of anxiety took place in Constance’s words as she hypothesized about her family’s current whereabouts.  

“I understand…” Arthur just said, it’s hard to say much more than few supportive words, the process of grief and acceptance are personal, it was Constance’s own journey and the best he and the others aware of the situation could do was listen and share their experiences to let her know she was not. Arthur then continued

“I know it’s hard to open up old scars. Believe me, it was not easy, considering the fact that back there I couldn’t show the signs of grief and survival was my first priority. What I did to Percy…”

The high stature man stopped, remaining silent for a moment, Constance put a hand on his shoulder as a sign of compassion.

“Don’t feel bad” Arthur spoke replying to Constance’s gesture “Not talking about it was the reason I had a breakdown in the first place. Opening up helped me go past it, I’m certain you will too” He concluded.

To lighten the mood, Arthur changed the subject, for a moment he thought about make her say more things related to miss Hambling, he heard so much about her from Morland’s excitement in matching Constance with her, but remembering what happened at the pub last night through his husband, this would not be the best idea, instead, silly work stories and gossip from his workplace were shared, they engaged in conversation for a while until they realized it was rather late, the gave each other’s their respective goodbyes and left.

Arthur’s words did give her encouragement to believe this was just a momentary situation. After all, everything is temporary, as the seasons pass, people come and go from our lives in a flash, feelings change as well as the perception of the world. The constable thought about all the changes she had to go trough as she was heading to her apartment.

Constance accepted the dream from the evening before was an important part of her life, she had to understand the past as in an essential step to move forward, maybe she would remember happy things, her mother caring for the wounds, if she ever had brothers or sisters. For all she knew, the constable could have had a little happy family and cherish those memories. Unfortunately, she would soon realize this was her world seem in rose colored lenses, much further from the truth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost vacation and I can finally update the fic


	7. The park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: it contains rude language (not in english tho ._. )

The sun was already set, the sources of light coming from the moon, stars and the many lamps filling the sidewalks to complement the lack of brightness found during the daytime. The bobby detected the entrance of a familiar place she would often visit, somewhere with a hint of the nature surrounding its visitors, almost idyllic. “It’s nothing more than a shortcut” Constance lied to herself. A stroll through the park would take her the double of time required to arrive at the destination she planned to head to: her apartment.

Even if for a few minutes before she was driven to view her world in a lighter tone in her attempts to escape from reality without the aid of remedies, her constant routine of re-living the fears, guilt and the past behind the four walls of the place she inhabited sent her an association with the feeling of dread after crossing the apartment’s doorway for she did not know what she would recall next. Therefore, the sweet aroma of flowers and night air seemed far more enjoyable, but eventually the constable would have to return, there was no way out, she would have to head home sometime or another.

The first few minutes were silent, a complete isolation from the world and a pleasant scenario to serve as a distraction from the nebulous thoughts Constance would always find herself immersed into.

For the officer’s luck, she found another excuse to prolong her night for a recently known figure was also seeking a change of pace from the daily routine. Clothed in a formal dress, this time with a sober color, briefcase at hand, the sound of heels poking the ground like spears trying to penetrate the concrete of the sidewalk. Even looking down, mumbling worlds Constance could not understand, it was always a pleasure to find the lawyer that made her loose her usual composure.

“Miss Hambling? How lovely!” Constance exclaimed as she waltzed to the lawyer’s encounter but Karen did not respond, she did acknowledge Constance’s presence as she looked to meet the constables gaze but completely ignored the officer’s kind tone with a sneer.

“Caralho! What you want?”  Karen replied to the constables greeting, she did not seem to partake on the joy of the meeting the blond haired officer who was now just a few feet away.

“With all due respect, what has come into you miss Hambling?” Constance was in an estate of shock, the last interaction she had with her was so pleasant, what could have made the smaller woman so infuriated the constable did not have a grasp of.

“Are you going to arrest me if I stop smiling and greeting? I’m NOT in the mood for being polite tonight” If miss Hambling knew how that phrase sent a chill down Constance’s spine, how that’s exactly what the constable used to do in her previous occupation as a law enforcer in Wellington Wells. If she had said the same harsh words to the Constance who would swallow joy religiously and was a strict follower of the zero tolerance attitude to any downer, Karen would have been held prisoner at that very same moment.

“Miss Hambling! I can assure you this is not the case-” The taller woman protested, trying to regain her composure and not have an immediate breakdown from the triggering words of Karen Hambling.

“This won’t be the case until I start to piss you off ain’t it? Look, best you not speak to me, I had a rough day and if you don’t want me to give you… Merda como eu falo coice?” Karen was now completely ignoring the bobby, talking to herself in incomprehensible words to the british woman.

Constance took a deep breath, from the context of the conversation, the constable knew these foreigner words she could not translate were not kind. Karen’s attitude, from the few interactions she had with this woman were also not mirrored in this disrespectful behavior she was witnessing, even when she was clearly infuriated, the brunette kept a remain of social decency at all times. In an attempt to get to the root of the problem, the constable questioned miss Hambling once again after the lawyer took a few deep breaths herself.

“Look, I’m sorry about this. I just lost the case, the accusation gave the stupidest arguments possible and somehow the jury agreed to that nonsense.” The attorney has finally explained herself. She did not take pride in her previous words to the officer.

“…You DO seem tense, mind if we continue this at the pub? I know a good one nearby” On the inside, the constable believed she has just made a terrible decision, an attempt of a date while her companion was not in the best mood right now, but the two of them were passing through quite stressful situations and letting that anger go in a casual environment was something they both could benefit from.

Karen sighted, she did seem tired now that the constable had a better view of the lawyer “I don’t usually drink during the week, but I will make an exception” she concluded, now more relaxed. The officer then proceeded to lead the way as miss Hambling was now walking by her side.  

It took only a few minutes of walk from the park for the two of them to arrive at an old, but well preserved pub, there were not many customers, which meant there was not much sound and that was an advantage for the officer who would take the opportunity to know more about the enchanting companion she had coming along. Before taking a seat, Constance analyzed the perimeter, being certain miss Hambling’s attacker was not on sight, they took a seat in a corner, away from the windows, it had pictures of flags, portraits of the royal family but the walls were taken by the images of the british army, including a frame of the battalion the landlord used to be a part of. The lawyer did not perceive those details as she was only focused on having a seat and try to forget about that week. After ordering two beers, Karen took a sip of the beverage and started to open up to the constable who had sat in front of her. 

“For starters, it was Mrs. Baker’s case, you know, the one I asked the files for at the precinct a while ago. Mr. Hambling and I were her attorneys but we did not succeed in keeping her from seeing the sun rise square” The lawyer said harshly. Although the constable knew her companion was not in a good mood and that any wrong move could unleash the smaller woman’s anger, she couldn’t help but wonder the meaning of those words she just spoke, wellies might not know much about the world around them but she was certain that the star which earth rotates around was a sphere.

“I-i beg your pardon, but are you allowed to say those things and what did you mean by a square sun?” Constance asked, her cheeks began to fluster, this woman: tall, athletic, with icy-blue eyes that could freeze anyone on the spot. Although being intimidating, she always managed to feel helpless from the slightest words of the short, petite lady who had no fear of speaking her mind.

“First, not to worry. Nothing the papers didn’t already exploited, it’s all out in the open- the lawyer proclaimed as she waved her arms open- Secondly, don’t you know this saying? She got arrested, but I guess the direct translation of _ver o sol nascer quadrado_ was a long shot, shouldn’t expect you to understand foreigner’s slang. But seriously, this case was very intense, do you really want to listen to this?”

“Miss Hambling, I do have dealt with many cases of brutality before, I will not be affected in the slightest” Constance did not lie but she had omitted the fact most of the violent acts she witnessed were committed by the wellie constabulary, including the ones she herself has done through torture and many cruel methods to keep citizens in line. How she dreaded the stunning woman, to whom she hoped one day she could enter in a relationship with, would unveil the truth and leave her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caralho: a bad word that is used to indicate the penis, I woud say it's the equivalent of cock. Not a word you shouls say in a polite conversation.   
> Merda, como eu falo coice: Shit, how do i say "horse kick". basically when you're gonna lash out on anyone, it's like a horse kick.


	8. The Baker case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE.   
> It deals with themes of domestic violence proceed with caution.   
> More information about it at the end note

Karen was rather conflicted in sharing the story, in one hand it would be relieving to talk to someone, in another she did not knew the constable for that long and it could be terrible if she said more than she should, compromising her work. She did have to admit not many had caught her attention as Constance did, that woman, in her eyes, could be considered what she only could describe as a greek statue that has come to life. She was tired from the trial, she had to let her frustrations out.

“If you don’t mind then…Mr. Baker was an alcoholic, the whole neighborhood could hear the screams late hours of the night. The prosecutor argued this was not truth and that no one ever saw him drunk but the bar owner had kept the tab from the past month, proving he did not drink occasionally, the neighbors testified too, proving how things behind those four walls were not peaceful and that’s only the beginning.”

She stopped for a moment, in an elegant gesture putting the dark hair behind her ear and drank a little more as if to gain strength to continue.

“A few months into the marriage Mrs. Baker left her work to become a housewife and her coworkers told us she did not seem to want to leave her position. Them what does the prosecution claims? _Isn’t it just natural for the ladies to take care of the matters of the house, YOU’RE CONTESTING THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF MARRIAGE._ He said that, to my face! That-” Karen was briefly interrupted by Constance, the officer put a hand on the infuriated lawyer, trying to keep the conversation from drawing unwanted attention.

“Calm down a bit, people are starting to notice. But I do say this prosecution does deserve some good ol’ trashing. I’m more than qualified for that, they will question the basic structure of their bones once I’m finished”. Miss Hambling chuckled to that playful yet terrifying hypothetical threat. That sound made Constance’s heart beat faster, a warm feeling filled her chest. After they were certain no one was trying to listen to their words, Karen followed on with the story.

“Sorry. I just didn’t have the chance to call that bloke on his bullshit at the trial. But continuing, she rarely left the house. The few times she would show herself in public there would always be bruises, but the prosecution said that this was all ‘circumstantial’. They changed the approach soon after we destroyed every single one of their arguments with solid proof”

“They wanted to prove to the jury he was a moderate man who suffered from a violent death unjustified by the hands of his wife but they could no longer hang onto that” Constance complimented.

“Exactly! the jury was starting to get on our side, we thought we were going to win, until that is, when Mrs. Baker was called to the stand. She said what occurred on that night, he was inebriated as always, cornered her in the kitchen, he started to accuse her of having an affair since he did not find her home earlier when she was actually visiting her parents for the first time in years… he tried to beat her… that’s when Mrs. Baker grabbed a knife from the counter and jammed in his stomach, she fled the place and was shaken, the neighbors came to aid soon after, Mr. Baker died before the ambulance could arrive at the hospital.” Karen stopped staring at Constance, she was now looking down at the floor, the weight of that testimony crushing her conscience. Neither of them spoke for a while, the constable started to become concerned for the wellbeing of Miss Hambling.

“…I don’t know what to say to this” Constance finally broke the silence. Her chest felt tight, there was not much that could be said in cases like this.

“But I tell you what that prosecutor said, and THAT is what has been haunting me:

_The accused knew about the actions of the victim, he never once tried kill her, the accused could predict it how he would act, her life was not directly on the line, therefore she had no reason to kill her husband, she could have just waited for him to come back to his senses but decided not to as the accused just confessed and for the lack of bruises, there was no proof of self-defense”_

“That’s preposterous! Good Lord! Who would agree to that?” Constance exasperated.  

“The jury did and now she has to serve a life sentence if we don’t do anything about it. How can those people believe she had nothing to defend against? She was cut off from relationships, denied her independence, even her wellbeing was at risk, he came towards her and I’m certain if she had waited to gain any ‘evidences of self-defense’- the lawyer said while forming quotation marks with her fingers- she could be the dead one by now. By the way, they decided the whole thing in an hour”.

Karen paused, she tapped her fingernail at the table, feet moving on its own, she was not pleased by the decision and starting to become stressed once again, Constance them simply put her hand on the smaller woman’s shoulder, urging her to take a few deep breaths, she them proceeded to finish her story.  

“It was a scandal. Reporters have been bugging me since the very moment I stepped out of the court. It’s a mix of sensationalist media trying to get me madder and start a feud with the prosecutors. That was the reason I was at the park lately, clearing my head. I just couldn’t handle it any longer. My uncle and I are trying to enter with a legal redress.”

“You mean Mr. Hambling?”  Since the other day at the precinct, the officer wandered what was his relationship towards her companion.

“He’s also my coworker, I’m working with him until I manage to open my own office”

“Never seem him at the precinct” Constance replied.

Karen explained how he was busy with other cases, but also how he was the reason so many people were willing to testify in Mrs. Baker favor.

“You said it was all in the papers, when was it all published?” Constance did not know about the court decision until Karen had filled her in in all the details, in fact, bringing information directly from the source.

“This morning, didn’t you read? God, here I am thinking this is what all the world is talking about” The lawyer replied as she brought her hand to her forehead.

“I had… Some problems I had to deal with as well” Constance spoke with hesitation, in part to avoid the topic of her past and also not to dense the already heavy atmosphere.

“Would you want to talk about it?” She seemed urged to change the subject.

“Not really. That’s… a very long story” Constance wouldn’t share at that moment the consequences of the former life she lived.

“I did share a lot of information with you tonight constable, it felt like a never-ending monologue…” She wanted to know more about the constable, until that moment all she knew was her occupation.

“But nothing personal about you…” She was certain that reply would make Karen stop questioning, but that was not the case.

“Do you want me to change it? Let’s talk more about ourselves then. I think it’s time to lighten the mood isn’t it? Just the basics. What’s your full name?”

Constance hesitated in changing the topic until her companion urged her to.

“It’s Diana Carlile Constance Thompson” She concluded.

“Diana, like the godness…It does suit your features. How long have you been here?”

Constance was once again caught off guard, she did not expect such compliment, she started to become red in her cheeks, after a few seconds of silence, she answered.

“I… moved from another city a while ago. What about you?”

“Not even from this country, been living in Brazil until a few years ago” Constance finally had some detail about Miss Hambling’s life.

“Really? couldn’t tell” They both chuckled.

“You’re funny. But yes, I came here from São Paulo at the end of 65” Karen concluded.

“Brazilian huh, what were you speaking to me earlier?” The constable asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Portuguese and for the love of God, NEVER mistake it with spanish like some bafoons have, it’s just plain irritating like the bloke you had to deal with before” For the tone of her words, Karen had a fair share of people committing that mistake. “About the meanings, let’s just say it’s best for you not to know what those words meant. Proper citizens would never have done that to anyone, specially an officer. I’m sorry about what I said, I mean it.” Constance would have to find out for herself I she ever wanted to know the translation.

“I am certain this was not how YOU would normally behave.” She let out a small chuckle. There was no longer a tension in the air with a pleasant smile on her face, Constance placed her hand on Karen’s, she did not mind the gesture. Constance smiled, no one has made her feel this comfort in quite a long time.

The evening went on for a while, the two of them ignoring the world surrounding them, they solely needed a break after all the trouble they have been trough. Unfortunately, it was almost midnight, both of them had to leave. Being the late hours of the night, Constance believed escorting miss Hambling to her home was the safest decision, not to mind the fact she was applying the same strategy her good friend Morland used to gain the affections of Mr. Hastings.

“Thanks for the evening, I really needed that - Karen said gazing directly at Constance, she was now walking much closer to her than before - “Sorry to bring you down like that at the pub, I just felt an urge to vent.” She concluded.

“I am the one who asked you to share. Is it your first time dealing with situations such as that?” Constance asked.

“Not really, I’m used to these kinds of cases, my problem is how other view it.”

“Could you be more clear?” She did not understand exactly what Karen meant.

“Some don’t see or just ignore injustices, someone must bring reality to them if they cannot reach it by themselves. I don’t want to be one of these lawyers who just want to make money on people’s expenses” She seemed to be one of those people who did not used their job for money, Miss Hambling really seemed to care about others.

“I see. I have to say, you were very courageous, not many would maintain their balance in situations such as the one you had to face.”

“… That’s very thoughtful of you” Karen replied to her companion’s words.

They finally arrived to miss Hambling’s home, there was nothing much to it, just a common house with two floors, the streets still dead quiet, before entering, Karen reached to Constance’s hand put a piece of paper in there and closed it.

“Let’s do this more often if you don’t mind, this time without me talking about work” She smiled, thanked Constance for the night once again and went inside.

The constable did not open her hand, after a long walk she reached her apartment where the small note was finally opened, inside, contained the number of Miss Hambling’s telephone. She could barely contain her excitement, for the first time in months she fell asleep and was not awoken by negative thoughts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really hard to mention; I’ve been conflicted if I put it or not. The case of this fic was entirely fictional but stories like this do happen in real life. For a long time, the legislation did not protect the cases of domestic violence, I will use the Brazilian legislation as an example.   
> in Brazil there’s the Law Maria da Penha, Maria da Penha had suffered longtime aggressions from her husband, in 1983 she became paralyzed in consequence of attempted murder by her spouse and found no aid in the Brazilian Justice as many other women.  
> the Interamerican Human Rights Comission was triggered in 1998. The Interamerican Court of Human Rights condemned Brazil for negligence in 2002, when the case finally came to an end, when it finally came to an end and Brazil had to reformulate its laws and politics regarding domestic violence.   
> But until today here, statistics say one woman suffers physical or verbal violence every two seconds, for the UK, it’s one in every 26 seconds.   
> Sources:   
> http://clocksofviolence.com/uk  
> http://www.relogiosdaviolencia.com.br/#

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so that fic will be a good writing exercise. 
> 
> Constance is my bobby OC, you can see more content of her in my tumblr: safiragroundartdump.tumblr.com
> 
> She's also a character in Skyebo6's fan fiction series Welcome to Wellington Wells (spoiler alert: it's infested with fluff, you'll get diabetes)  
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyebo6/pseuds/Skyebo6/works?fandom_id=5876600


End file.
